Orphaned Love
by reylrit
Summary: An orphaned girl finds herself homeless and perpetually hungry,surviving on stolen food here and there. Her fates changed one day when she was caught red handed by the well-known Li family.Would her life be for the better from now on, or a downward spiral
1. An orphaned girl

Hi everyone! This is my first attempt at a story which is finally not a one-shot and it's about our beloved couple, Sakura and Syaoran! Hope you guys would enjoy this first chapter and I hope it isn't really that bad!

Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura is a wonderful work of art and would only belong to CLAMP.

Summary: An orphaned girl finds herself homeless and perpetually hungry, surviving on stolen food here and there. Her fates changed one day when she was caught red handed by the well-known Li family. Would her life be for the better from now on, or would it be a downward spiral?

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Orphaned love

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The streets were full of people walking briskly to their destinations. Hectic and focused on their tasks at hand, it seemed not that anyone would notice a girl of incredibly small stature crouching by a dark alley, watching the people pass by her with large and observant eyes.

She watched as the pink rays of the setting sun cast its glow over the sky. The day seemed cheerful enough, but not so for the girl crouching at the deserted walkway by herself, with nothing for companion, except for the dust that the people kick up in their wake.

For a whole three or four day, she couldn't remember, she had gone by without food. The past days had been especially bad times for her. Usually she would be able to sneak out a crumb of bread or some leftovers from people's plates when they were not noticing, or when the workers hadn't been quick enough to collect the dishes left by the diners. Or if she really couldn't manage to be that quick, that or she couldn't muster the courage to go for the steal, she could always go to the back alleyways where the garbage bins were. Food would always be there. But the girl disliked the place. Rats and other small rodents would often be there before her, and she didn't fancy herself sharing with these night crawlers. But more often than not, she would have to search for some edible leftovers from the bins since it was the place where most food could be found. Even then, she tried to leave some for her fellow scavengers, no matter how creepy she found them. From her young mind and her small perspective of the world around her, she thought that if she got selfish and took everything for herself, nothing would be left for them, the only creatures she could identify herself with in this massive world. The last thing she wanted would be for these little rodents to dislike and hate her as well.

Since the beginning of her memory, the girl could well remember that she was constantly being disliked by the people around her. Although a large part of early years were a foggy past, she could still remember the times when she got brushed aside by the people she approached for comfort. Those were hurtful memories she rather not have. It was the early times, initially when she found herself orphaned and loveless. She had not remembered how all these started, just that for as long as she could remember, she had just been wandering around aimlessly, hoping that someone would take her in and give her some warm and clean food. Much as she tried to dig into her memory during the starless nights when she slept out on the fields with scarcely a piece of cloth for protection against the breeze, she couldn't recall much of her life, at least the part of her life before she became an orphan.

But there was a time when loneliness had hit her heart fully and she felt that she had to dig hard into her memories to find something, anything, which would give her some good cheer and lighten her heart. Her mind turned up nothing much, except for a very unclear picture of a smiling couple. Their faces were rather unclear but for some unknown reason, she could hear their soft laughter, calming and floating, as though they arose to soothe her lonely heart. The girl had rejoiced then at the little piece of information, that there were actually people who looked upon her such fondly and kindly. She wondered then, if anyone would ever look at her with kindness at all.

The girl felt her eyelids grow heavy and before they could close and give in to blissful sleep, she snapped herself awake. Night is coming soon and by much observation over the past months, she knew that nighttime is the best time to scrape some food into her stomach to ease the ever calling hunger pangs. Much as she wanted to give in to her tiredness, her hunger wins the dilemma. Straightening her body determinedly, the girl stood up and went out onto the streets, a small girl among the throngs of grown-ups.

Walking along the streets and trying to make herself as small and unnoticeable, the girl kept her large eyes fixed on her surroundings. A large restaurant with bright lights and a signboard with a really flowery sounding name caught her eye and she stopped in her tracks.

"Vi–Vio-Le-a…" The girl tried unsuccessfully to pronounce the name on the large signboard with the twinkling bright lights. Giving up, she let her eyes trail to the small outdoor tables outside of the restaurant. With their white colour and elaborate designs, the girl felt that the tables and chairs were really pretty.

Alas! She spotted an empty table which a group of people had just left. The waiters all seemed to be too busy serving the rest of the tables that they didn't seem to be in a hurry to clear the table up. There were not much diners around either, save for a small group of family who seemed to be in the middle of their meal. Instinctively, the girl knew that this is a chance that she should take. There were still a rather large amount of leftovers and if she was fast enough, she could well satisfy her hunger pangs for the rest of the night, perhaps even last her well past a few days.

Seizing the opportunity when she saw that no one around her was looking, the girl ran quickly to the table and with her small hands, tried to grab whatever food that were on the peripheries of the table. Unfolding a scruffy looking rag from the inside of her shirt, the girl quickly deposited the food into it, taking care to not spill them.

After the girl was sure the rag wouldn't hold any more food than it was possible, she tied the ends up and just when she was ready to make her escape, she heard a girl's voice, high pitched and squeaky,

"Look, Aunt Yelan! That girl in the beggar clothes is stealing food on that table over there!"

The girl in question immediately froze on hearing these words. However she quickly recovered as her instincts kicked in and made her realise she would need to escape right away, if she wanted to prevent a familiar round of episode to happen.

Yet as the girl turned around to scan her surroundings, a few of the restaurant attendants had reached her and were blocking any possible routes of escape. Fear reached a top notch in the girl's heart as she realised there wouldn't be any chances of escape now. Cowering under the accusing glares the adults were giving her, tears found their way down her face and the girl started to tremble uncontrollably.

The girl whose voice was hers a while ago pushed her way through the restaurant attendants and stood in front of the trembling girl. Nose wrinkled up in distaste, she eyed the girl's ragged appearance.

Her hair was in disarray and clumps of dirt could be seen clinging on to it. Her clothing or rather, the rags that hung off her tiny frame seemed so filthy that even a beggar would look at it in disdain. Generally, she looked as though the world's most impossibly darkest dirt and smudges had found their way to the girl.

"Meiling, what's wrong?"

Another voice, this one belonging to an adult woman, registered in the girl's mind.

"This girl is_ so filthy_!Look! And she even_ stinks_!"

"Now, now, Meiling, where are your manners? You can't just say such hurtful things to someone you just met, you know?"

The girl heard a rustling of clothes, then felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She shrank away in fear, not because she feared a violent reaction to her but because she feared she clothes would soil the woman's clean hands. Somehow she had suddenly become very interested in her state of hygiene, or more accurately, her state of lack of. She had felt a warm colour rise to her cheeks just now because of the other girl's words.

_Please don't hate me…don't hate me…don't hate me… _

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Just in case you guys are wondering, the 'round of episode' mentioned earlier is a time when Sakura got thrown out literally onto the streets when she was discovered stealing food, but not before she suffered some blows to her body, given by some brutes.

Liked or disliked it? Tell me and I'll be really grateful to you. Just kindly press that square button and write your thoughts!


	2. The name is Sakura

**Orphaned Love**

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**Chapter Two: The name is Sakura**

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Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP and CLAMP only.

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_Please don't hate me… don't hate me… don't hate me…_

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The girl continued to cast her eyes on the ground, afraid to lift up her head to look at the people who were by now crowding around her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw that even more people were now walking towards the small crowd, probably trying to get into the atmosphere of looking at something _uncommon_.

She felt the woman's touch again. It's so gentle, as if the woman is handling is handling a fragile piece of glass. However, this time she applied more pressure, and lifted up the girl's eyes to meet her own at the girl's eye level. Emerald eyes met the woman's eager eyes and for a moment, the woman was surprised at the sheer brightness the pair of emerald eyes own. It was as though it held ever lasting innocence, innocence of that of a young child, but more so, the sparkle that belongs to people with unfailing optimism.

Such a child with such living conditions, yet her eyes… Yelan thought silently, as she unconsciously caressed the girl's grimy face, not caring about the clumps of dirt that were now transferred to her hands.

The girl was taken aback at the woman's display of affection. It seemed such a long time since she felt even this bit of concern from someone. Blushing furiously, the girl fidgeted around, suddenly becoming even more interested in the ground.

It was then that she heard the voice, the voice that somehow held much enchantment in its texture, leaving her a deep impression.

"Mum."

A single word, simple in its utterance yet enough to capture the girl's attention. She turned her head in the direction from where the voice came from. There, not a few metres away was a little boy, though not as small and little as her, standing with his hands in his khakis.

The boy met her girl's gaze and for a moment, they knew not what to make of the other. They were from two polar opposites of this world, had experienced different lives and saw different things. Yet there seemed to be an unknown feeling rising between them, one that kept the boy's eyes transfixed on hers despite her beggarly appearance.

"Yes, Syaoran dear?" Yelan replied, inclining her head towards her son.

"This… girl. She needs a wash." The boy named Syaoran said, with a curious tone of finality to it. It seemed he was used to getting things going according to his will.

Confusion could be seen clearly in the girl's eyes as she stared all the more at Syaoran. However before Yelan could continue speaking, the girl called Meiling quickly jumped onto the scene, straight onto Syaoran, hugging him tightly.

"Syaoran is _mine_! Don't stare at him!" She snapped. Though not malicious, her tone was enough to make the poor girl lower her eyes in embarrassment again.

"Now now, Meiling dear, you're going to choke Syaoran if you're continuing to hug him like this."

Meiling loosened her hug from an extremely red-faced Syaoran, though still maintaining her arms around him.

"Hey, little girl, why don't you tell us your name?" Seeing the girl's continued downcast eyes, Yelan said again, this time more soothingly,

"I would like so much to know your name. Now, please tell me?"

The girl hesitated a moment, as though unsure of what to actually say. Though her memories before had been foggy and unclear, one of the few impressionable words being said to her that she could remember was the name of a flower, a pale pink flower of much gentleness and cheer.

_Sakura, come, time for your nap time..._

_Sakura, do you like this toy? Mummy and I got this specially for you..._

_Sakura… mummy and daddy love you so much…_

Unexpected tears came flowing copiously then. Unable to stop the sudden grief that gripped her heart at remembering such a memory, one that is so sweet, yet so distant, she thought that never could she hear such endearing words again. Mummy, and daddy. These two people were once the most important people in her life. Yet the loving memory of them couldn't stop the tears from flowing. She knew, the knowledge lodged unpleasantly in her heart, that never could she ever see them again, nor could she hear those words of love that were specially reserved for her, ever again.

The tears came flowing still, droplets of crystalline tears came dripping one after another, staining the ground with its grief. Sakura stood, willing herself to stop crying in front of all these strangers, yet whenever she tried to stop, the tears came pouring out more than ever. One after another, making a distorted pattern on the ground, as though playing a silent melody, telling her, that it's ok to cry.

The small crowd that gathered before slowly dispersed, not wishing to spend a lovely evening out watching a beggar child cry her heart out. The ones remaining were the Li family, witnesses to the breakdown of a young girl's heart, witnesses to her overwhelming grief.

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Hey, I know that this is an extremely short chapter. I promise I'm going to write a longer one for the next chapter. I was actually going to update this story at this weekend since schoolwork is really bogging me down. However I was really spurred on by the reviews and alerts that I got. Though it's nothing much compared to the seasoned writers who had already churned out many wonderful stories, to me a newbie writer, it's enough encouragement for me to start a new chapter. Thanks, everyone, who bothered to read my story. Love you guys!

Oh, and by the way, if you guys got any constructive criticisms at all, please tell me I'm willing to change the flaws that I have in this story. Review and make this person a happy person!


	3. The Li family

Orphaned Love

**Orphaned Love**

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**Chapter 3: The Li family**

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Sakura: aged 4

Syaoran: aged 8

Meiling: aged 7

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_It's so beautiful it makes you wanna cry_

_This innocence is brilliant  
I hope that it will stay  
This moment is perfect  
Please don't go away  
I need you now  
And I'll hold on to it  
Don't you let it pass you by_

_-Avril Lavigne, Innocence_

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Little Sakura sat on the large mahogany seat, scrubbed clean and smelling fresh of something nice. Her hair was removed of its previous grime and now shone an auburn colour, light brown with tinges of copper and red. It had been combed neatly and two small ponytails were tied from the sides of her head. Her skin was rid of its stank and dirt, revealing a soft pale cream colour. She was clad in a pink dress made of satin, comfortable and cool to the touch. Sakura touched her nose to her sleeve, the sleeve of the satin dress that the Li family had put her in. The smell of cherry blossoms filled her senses and she happily indulged in the fresh scent for a while longer, all the while oblivious of the stares that were directed at her.

Yelan sat next to little Sakura and on her face was an unfathomable expression, one that was filled with sympathy no doubt, but yet her gaze seemed to be tinted with gentleness, a soft side of her that was revealed very little to others nonetheless.

The two children of the Li family, Syaoran and Meiling, both sat on the opposite side of the dark mahogany table, Syaoran with his eyes fixed on the girl four years younger than him and Meiling with a passive expression, though at times she would cast a jealous glance from Sakura to Syaoran and back again.

Sakura loved the smell of the cherry blossoms. She remembered this fresh scent from a long while back, when she was being dressed in clean clothes and when she could remember none of the coldness that engulfed her later on.

_I have the same name as this scent… Sakura…_

(Flashback)

Sakura was picked up gently by one of the servants called forth by Yelan and together with the Lis she was whisked off to their huge mansion at the top of the hill, the very same hill where she would lay on every night, starring at the boundless sky and the twinkling stars. Throughout the car ride, Yelan was especially careful with the little girl, afraid of how she might react in the presence of these strangers coupled with the newness of the encounter that was still baffling her. However, little Sakura was not at all afraid. With trusting eyes, she had nodded and agreed to Yelan's invitation to her house, the house on the top of the hill. With wonderment, Sakura had been struck dumb by the invitation to go to the large and magnificent house where she had so often saw and dreamt about.

A quick flurry of activities ensued and the servants did what they had been ordered to. To treat Sakura just like a little princess and to dress her up in the finest clothing as possible. At first, the servants were befuddled as to the task. It had seemed incredulous when someone is expected to clean up a beggar girl and dress her in the finest when she was, well, nothing more than a beggar. But orders were orders and they set about doing their jobs, no matter how disdainful it is.

(End of Flashback)

Little Sakura stopped burying her head in her dress and took a moment to look around her surroundings. Luxurious furniture were all around her. The antiques, the exquisite décor of the house, the Persian rugs, the very atmosphere of it all screamed 'beautiful' to her. For the first time in her life, Sakura felt like a little princess, surrounded by magnificence and treated with such care. Letting out a large toothy grin, Sakura burst out giggling, in that childish way of hers whenever she felt joyful. Swinging her legs back and forth from her seat, the cheeriness that Sakura was exuding seemed contagious as the mood of the Li family lightened up as well.

Syaoran found himself smiling slightly at the curious sight before him. Here was a girl, homeless and dirty beyond words. Yet in such a strange and new environment, she had not even for once showed that she was wary of the people who were around her. How could anyone could be that trusting of others, even when she knew she was alone and had no one to turn to should anything happen? Than again, Syaoran reminded himself, this is a girl so young that she was so innocent in such a way that made the adults around her lesser. Such innocence that was kept bountifully in that small package of hers seemed not to have faltered under the harshness of this cold, unfeeling world. Instead, one could say that despite her harsh circumstances, with a bright optimism from her childlike perspective, she had kept her innocence untouched, even when the encounters she had before were certainly less than pleasant, to say the least.

Yelan, smiling warmly at the girl, who seemed to take no notice of her, began to ran through the many questions in her mind that sprang up from the first moments she saw the child. The green emerald eyes were certainly not usual around this small suburban town. She had lived here for long enough to know almost all the families here. Yet never had she once met such unusually bright green eyes which seemed to have been bewitched by the green forestry of nature itself. Motioning for one of the servants to come forward, Yelan discreetly told him,

"Contact Ryuda immediately. I want to have a meeting with him quick. Make known to him the urgency of this matter."

Bowing before the Mistress of the house, the servant walked away hurriedly.

Returning her attention to the girl, Yelan saw that she had stopped giggling and had began to take notice of the three people sitting around her. With large, expressive eyes, it could be barely concealed that little Sakura was curious of the people sitting at the same table as her.

Gazing curiously at them and opening her mouth as though to say something, Sakura felt shy once again, similar to when she was first surrounded by the crowd of people, feeling their indifferent stares, singeing her with their hostile attitudes and prejudices. However, she knew that these people were different, different from the very same people who looked down upon her with barely disguised disgust. She felt that perhaps they could be the same as her smiling parents, showing her so much love she felt her heart could burst with its warmth.

_My parents, Mummy… and Daddy… they are not here with me anymore…_

Thinking back on the unpleasant memories she would rather forget, the same overwhelming sense of loss overcame her again. A dull ache settled in her heart as tears formed in her eyes but were kept from falling by her stubbornness. As the film of tears shinned under the bright lights of the chandelier, Sakura told herself resolutely, _they're never to come back again, I shouldn't cry anymore, nothing could help, now that… now that they're… gone._

Little Syaoran saw the tears that were threatening to fall. For some unknown reason, his heart seemed to be tugging at him to do something, anything, to cease the flow of tears. Such a young child shouldn't have to bear the weight of her grief all alone, he thought. Though he knew he weren't that old either, he at least knew an innocent child when he saw one. It was not as if he had been able to lead an entirely carefree childhood. The death of his father had left the family business headless and she had seen how hard his mother had been working to keep the position of the Lis intact, sacrificing a part of herself in the process, the part which allowed her to enjoy the tiniest joys of life. Little Syaoran had thus tried to take up the role of the 'man of the house', as his father had said to him at his deathbed.

Syaoran, could you do me a favour? The three year old boy had then nodded his head vigorously, trying his hardest to suppress the falling of his tears that had gathered quickly in his eyes.

Be the man of the house, it's a role you must take up to protect your mother. Help me… help me, take care of her. Will you do this last thing for me? Then, Syaoran had remembered he had repeatedly said 'yes' over and over again until he was sure his father had left in peace, but not before he uttered a soft 'I love you' to his sobbing wife.

Little Syaoran focused his thoughts again on the girl sitting before him. He knew not what the girl was grieving over. He knew only that people should not let their grief take the better of themselves away. Slowly, Syaoran inched his way over to little Sakura, finally standing before her and facing her in her seat.

"Sakura."

The said word had the desire effect as little Sakura, surprised, turned her head to him, cocking her head cutely to the side, as if to ask, nani?

"I don't know what are you so upset about. But what I do know is that I don't like to see you crying."

Taking her hands in his, Syaoran gave it a little squeeze and then smiled a little at her, "Besides, you don't look nice crying. I like your smiles better. So, smile for me, ok?"

Little Sakura stared at Syaoran. Emeralds locked with ambers. She tentatively squeezed his hand back and gave a shy smile, which soon evolved to a large toothy grin, showing off her pearly whites.

At that moment, two children had found a best friend in the other. There seemed not to be any difference between them at all as they smiled happily at each other, Syaoran being more subdued, with Sakura being the cheerful one. To hell with statuses and backgrounds, it was the identification of kindred spirits in each other that mattered. More importantly, Sakura had found people who actually cared about her, people who won't shun her, who won't treat her like a pest, who won't shout at her to go away. And at the centre of these people is the boy called Syaoran, the one she fell in love with the moment he held her hand. She knew not what those feelings were that seemed to leap up whenever she saw him but she did know that these feelings were extremely important to her and she won't ever forget them, nor the boy called Syaoran.

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There, finished! Loved it or hated it? Give me a review and make me very happy indeed!


	4. Revelations and Preparations

**Orphaned Love**

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**Chapter 4: Revelations and Preparations **

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Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.

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Hey guys! I've already mapped out the rough plots for the next four chapters and then it'll be the end of this series. The only spoilers that I'll be giving would be that this series would end when our favourite couple is in their early teens to young adult. Then hopefully I'll be able to hold my interest long enough to extend the story to another series, with eight chapters too, that'll sort of be the sequel to it. Well, this is the first time I'm writing a chaptered kind of story so I don't know how it'll all turn out. Give me your precious guidance along the way ok? Love you people! Now, enough of these and on to the story.

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A short sharp rap could be heard from the other side of the door. Yelan looked up from her paper work and answered, "Come in."

The heavy oak door swung open and entered a man in his early thirties. His impeccable appearance meant business and without much formal greetings, he asked, "Madam Yelan, you asked me here on such a short notice for?"

Chuckling, Yelan said, "Ryuda, as straight to the point as ever." However, remembering the reason why she called her most trusted lawyer over, her face turned serious.

Placing a photo of a certain auburn haired green eyed girl across her desk, she said, "This girl is obviously not from anywhere in our small town. There's no family here with such eyes of an unusual shade. Get information on her, as much as you can."

Ryuda took the photo from the desk and studying the face of the girl, he asked, "You know anything at all about her?"

"Just that her name is Sakura, nothing else. She was wandering around homeless and stealing food just to survive. That's how we found her."

There seemed to be underlying concern felt in Yelan's tone and Ryuda couldn't help but ask, "I seldom see you so concerned about anything other than business. What makes you so adamant on wanting to find her origins?"

Yelan turned in her revolving high chair and faced the French windows behind her, squinting her eyes at the far distance of the morning.

"Because I feel for her." She said simply as Ryuda tried to look past the guarded pairs of eyes that had been there since the death of her husband. As usual, he could discern nothing of her true thoughts.

Standing up from his place to leave, Ryuda gave a crooked smile and said, "Consider it done."

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Little Sakura's eyes followed the course of a butterfly whose yellow wings seemed to beckon her under the brightness of the sunlight. Jumping up excitedly from under the shade of the tree she had been in, Sakura raced after it, hopping up and down, trying to catch the fleeting butterfly with her small bare hands.

The children were outside the Li mansion this Saturday afternoon, all not wanting to miss the fine weather. However Sakura was the only child playing around. Her idea of fun, which was to chase random butterflies around, jumping and skipping around the field and suddenly running excitedly over to some pile of flowers, all the while making poor attempts at singing, was not the older children's idea of fun.

In fact, Meiling had an undisguised look of boredom on her face, as she looked disinterestedly at the antics the younger girl was exhibiting. Syaoran seemed to be no much different either. Sitting underneath a big umbrella tree for the shade it provided, his half lidded eyes concealed his obvious amusement at the little girl.

Watching silently as little Sakura skipped around the field, hopping up every now and then to catch a butterfly, imaginary or real, Syaoran thought that the world is so mean to such a young girl, leaving her to fend for herself. But her suppose the world is merciful too, since it let Sakura be found. Now that she was in a safe place, he thought that never would he let the ugly threats of the world hurt her, not even once. It seemed irrational when he thought about it. But his affection for a homeless stranger seemed irrational and unusual enough. Now that he thought about it, wanting to protect the little girl from any more of life's heartbreaks seemed to be a natural thing to do, as if it is a an innate tendency in him. But whenever he looked into the green orbs of innocence, he knew instinctively that it was more than a natural human kindness that he felt towards her. What he felt towards her he did not know. The world seemed big and complex enough not to have him think about frivolous things like his feelings. But still he felt extra at peace with himself whenever the little girl was near his proximity. Only God knows about this queer effect she had on him.

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"Syaoran! Meiling! Come play with me!"

Sakura's voice broke Syaoran's dreamless nap. As he opened his eyes he saw a breathless Sakura running towards him and his cousin. Her face was flushed red from the sun and the cotton clothes she was wearing was smeared full of dirt. She was missing a shoe and her hair looked all over the place.

Smiling slightly at the sight before him, Syaoran looked contently at little Sakura as she attempted to get Meiling off the pretty little mat she laid for herself on the ground.

"Meiling! Get up! Play!" Sakura cried cheerfully, as she grabbed Meiling's hands with her own dirty ones.

Probably went off and dug up some dirt just now or something, thought Syaoran as he saw Meiling shriek sharply when she noticed how dirty Sakura's hands were.

"Eww! Where have you been? Go clean yourself up and don't come touching me with those hands again!" Meiling yelled indignantly at Sakura, as she wiped her hands frantically on a clean napkin she produced from somewhere.

Momentarily taken aback from the sudden outburst of the older girl, Sakura took a few steps back. The loud and harsh voice had seemed so similar to that of the adults she had encountered long ago. For a moment, she was reminded of her own status, that of a stray homeless girl who just a few days ago, had been roaming the streets and stealing food.

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"_You filthy little brat! Go away! We have no charity for you here!"_

"_Ah! Here comes that girl again. Look at her, like an animal. I bet she probably came begging for food because of her parents. Like I would believe these tricksters."_

"_It might be better to give her something, at least some scraps of food which the customers left behind. Perhaps she would cease coming here every day if we do that."_

"_Are you stupid?! Not only would she keep on coming here but she would also bring her measly fellow low-lives along, just because of your wimpy act pf charity! Leave her at where she is. I'm sure she'll go off to some dumb suckers soon!"_

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Voices of people she had once met before, whom she had gone to for some desperate help some time back. Ugly voices, condemning her, jumping into conclusions about her. They were all hurtful, no matter how false they were. Despite Sakura's attempts to block out these voices from her memory, her mind failed her as over and over again, she got reminded by her past. It seemed that her less than glorious past would always assail her, wherever she was. Not even after she had lived in the company of kind, honest people had she lost these hurtful memories.

_What had I done? Why are they shouting at me? I hadn't done anything bad to make them angry, had I? Please don't hate me, please!_

A frown formed on Syaoran's face as he saw the telling signs whenever Sakura was being assailed by the memories of her past. The desperate covering of her ears as she suddenly crouched down and laid her face in her lap, shaking uncontrollably as fresh tears came flowing non-stop, all the while muttering "Don't hate me". All these told Syaoran what he needed to know. That he needed to pull the little girl out of the subconscious state that she was trapped in, before she suffered any more pain.

"Sakura!" Taking hold of her small shoulders, Syaoran shook it not too gently. "I'm Syaoran! Look at me!"

Sakura's sobs ceased. She slowly lifted a tear-stained face and emerald eyes sought out amber ones, looking into it for recognition and acceptance. Recognition that she was who she was, Sakura, not a detestable girl who always seemed to irk people and make them angry. Acceptance of herself, someone who had no parents, no home, no background, just herself, Sakura.

Syaoran wiped the tears off little Sakura's face gently using his thumbs and said in a soft and gentle tone, "You are safe here now. No need to go back to those awful memories."

Pointing to the vast skies with its azure colour, and then at the bright sparkly orb hanging in the midst of it, Syaoran said, "There! Look at all the world has to offer you! The day ends every time the sun comes out, but the sun will rise again, without fail, every day. So look beyond your unhappiness and grasp joy, for yourself, for me, ok?"

Sakura looked at Syaoran, no longer miserable but a new feeling assailed her senses instead, that of confusion. Cocking her head slightly, Sakura asked, "For Syaoran? For you?"

Eyes twinkling, Syaoran soothed the younger girl's hair to the back and behind her ear and then told her, "Yes, be happy for me, won't you?"

A toothy grin appeared on Sakura's face as she registered what Syaoran had just said to her.

"Syaoran thank you so much! I'll smile for you, always! And, and, I love you!" She cried out. Unable to contain her happiness, she threw her arms around the older boy and nearly knocked him off his feet.

Laughing along with the girl, Syaoran swung her around for a few seconds and then the both collapsed on the ground, clearly exhausted but still laughing hard.

Meiling stood to a side, a spectator to the bubble the other two children were in. Though dejected at Syaoran's display of affection for the other when he had not even smiled much at her, his cousin, before, she couldn't help a small smile from creeping onto her face. It sure was wonderful to see such pure joy and happiness from the usually quiet and aloof Syaoran. She was reluctant to admit it, but the arrival of Sakura seemed to be a good change not only to Syaoran, but to her as well. She felt like she could tolerate another girl other than herself hugging Syaoran. Though she swore if their hugs got too frequent she would be sure to cut it off, thought Meiling to herself, half joking of course.

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Yelan flipped over the sheets of paper she received from the brown envelope, focusing on the bits of information related to Sakura. Scanning through the words, she unconsciously rubbed the bridge of her nose as she concentrated on them.

"A town not far away from where they are… called Tomoeda… a fire broke out over six months ago, burning down the homes of more than three families, killing the Kinomoto family. Young and only daughter though listed as being dead, body could not be found, though could have been charred and destroyed in the fire. The girl's name is… Sakura… Kinomoto."

That's how it was then, thought Yelan, as she put the papers down on her desk. Poor Sakura must have ran away from the fire that broke out and walked a long way to this town, a neighbouring town of Tomoeda.

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Yelan walked over to the living room where Meiling and Syaoran were cooling down from the hot summer heat after arriving home from school. The information she had received from Ryuda had helped her make her decision about Sakura. Now that she knew that she had no parents nor relatives whatsoever to return to, she knew that the choices were very limited.

Observing the scene that played itself before her, Yelan looked on with a heavy heart. Little Sakura was fitting in nicely into the environment that she was now in. She was now busy trying to serve the two older children ice lemonade which she had made just now before they arrived home. However her clumsiness got the better of her as she tripped over the carpet before her and ended up spilling the drinks all over Syaoran and Meiling instead.

"Hoe! Sakura is sorry! Sakura is sorry!" repeated the small girl profusely as she frantically tried to help them wipe the wetness off their clothes using some tissue paper.

The first choice open to her would be to send Sakura to an orphanage. There was one that was opened recently by a good friend of hers and it was located not far away from the house they lived in. Syaoran and Meiling could visit her as often as they wanted to then.

The second option would be to keep her here, as part of their family, to bring her up as she would her own daughter, just like Meiling. She would be her adoptive mother and Sakura would never have to know hardships which were beyond the comprehension of her young years.

Looking at how Meiling was chasing Sakura around the living room now, with occasional outbursts of laughter from the both of them, Yelan made her decision. To tear such a young child away from a safe environment which she had already settled in would seem too harsh. Sure, this child had only come a few days ago but oddly, she had grown on her heart much in these few short days.

Stopping the children in their play, Yelan lowered herself in front of Sakura and told her, "Sakura, would you like to stay here, along with me, Syaoran and Meiling?"

Yelan's words got the attention of the older children and they kept their attention solely on their mother's conversation, wanting to know what it would lead to.

Sakura looked at Yelan with confusion clear in her eyes. Then, seeing Yelan's grave and serious expression, she surmised that her answer would be of great importance to her.

Swallowing nervously, Sakura said, "I like you, Auntie Yelan… and I like Syaoran and Meiling very much too… I love all of you!"

With this, Yelan brought the child close to her and gave her a warm hug. Sakura reveled in the loving hug as she tried to nuzzle Yelan with her face.

"I may not be as wonderful as your real mother, Sakura, but I'll try my best. From now on, we'll be your family. Whatever problems you encounter in the future, you can rely on us. Dear precious child."

Not fully understanding what Auntie Yelan just said, Sakura just nodded dumbly, wanting more than ever now to go back to the game of catching with Meiling.

Syaoran and Meiling looked on at the scene before them. It seemed rare for Yelan to be shedding tears. Sure it was just a few tears, but for such a headstrong career woman like Yelan, it was something not commonly seen.

For them, they understood that the little girl called Sakura was not just a temporary phase in their lives. From then onwards, they had to live with her, accommodate her as their own sister and to love her as one of their own.

For Syaoran, he didn't know what the future would bring to them but one thing for sure, he felt glad that Sakura was going to be a permanent resident of his family and not wandering around outside, homeless and loveless. He was going to do his utmost to make sure that this little girl would not ever have to know the painful ugliness of the world. No matter what it took, that innocence in the green eyes of hers should never be extinguished.

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Finally, it's done. And it's such a long chapter too. I hope it won't disappoint you guys. Hope that Sakura's display of weakness won't be too dramatic. I just wanted to portray her as an orphan who's really hurt by what she's been through in a period of her young life, hope it is not too cheesy! And Yelan's decision to adopt Sakura as her own is not my original plan for this story. I actually planned for Sakura to be sent to an orphanage instead, with Syaoran being the only one coming faithfully to visit her all these years. But then I thought the Yelan in this story shouldn't be such a cold and harsh person. So there, people!

Anyway please give me feedbacks on what you think are the nice and not so nice points about this chapter. It really won't be too much of a hassle just to write a few words and I'll really appreciate it! I'll write the next one really quick too! Thanks in advance!


	5. Of Ten Years later

**Orphaned Love**

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**Chapter 5: Of ten years later**

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**Disclaimer: Cardcaptor Sakura belongs to CLAMP.**

**Hey people who bothered to read my story! It's been at least a few months since I last updated and I'm sorry about the delay. It's just a combination of procrastination and schoolwork and those long moments when I get writer's block. And I lost quite a bit of the original chapter which I typed up already, just because of a stupid virus in my com and I have to get rid of it by rebooting the entire system, so I have to type up a whole new chapter. Stupid me, didn't think of making a back up of that but whatever, this chapter is done, finally. I hope this would serve to satisfy you people and one last thing, please give me a review. Somehow I just look forward to getting reviews and I'll really appreciate the effort. Now enough of my ramblings, on to the story!**

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**Sakura: 14**

**Syaoran: 18**

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Sakura held on to the tray lightly as she walked along the long corridors. She was feeling rather giddy at the thought of being able to see Syaoran again. Granted, it had only been at most a few weeks while he was away for an overseas exchange programme, but it seemed like ages since the last time she saw him.

Syaoran, mused Sakura as she slowed down her pace. The thought of him would never fail to bring a smile to her face. All these years of living under the same room with him, of growing up together with him, had only served to improve herself as a whole. She would always try to excel in her studies, just so she could win a smile from him and some words of compliment as well. Since her earliest memories, she had never once remembered a time when she did not look forward to 

seeking his praise, his affirmation. Somehow over the years, her attachment towards him had only grown and intensified, not stopping even when she stopped being homeschooled and when she made many friends. It seemed to her that she had specially dedicated a spot in her heart to him and him alone.

Towards him, Sakura could never hope to sort out her mishmash of feelings. It was a mixture of happiness of having known him, of delight at the fact that he cared about her, of gratitude for he was the first person to have regarded her as simply her, without all the unnecessary baggage that came along when they first met as children. Yet, there's still one more feeling which she still could not put a word to. It was a feeling which made her yearn. For what, she did not know, or rather, she could not tell. It was like a feeling which made her yearn for something more, something more than the brotherly and friend kind of relationship with Syaoran. Sakura did not think much of this though. For her, to be close to Syaoran was all that mattered and all other things pale in comparison with it.

Stopping before the door with the words 'Syaoran' carved deeply and boldly into the wood, Sakura took a deep breath. It was after all, at least a few weeks since they last time they met and Sakura wanted to be prepared for it. It seemed to be such an irrational thought to her, for her heartbeat to quicken whenever she was anticipating a meeting with him, since they had practically been playmates since young. But it seemed to be true, as Sakura took deep calming breaths to have a better control over her wildly thumping heart.

'Oh stop it, you're being childish. It's just Syaoran, not the President of the United States!' thought Sakura angrily to herself.

Opening the door as silently as she could, Sakura took a peek into the room. It was cluttered and messy as usual, with random books and clothes strewn all over the place. A luggage was sitting idly by the bed, without having been unpacked yet. And there, sitting casually on the mini sofa in an area of the room, was the person she was looking forward to see so much. He seemed to have grown even tanner and his hair had most certainly grown longer and messier as well. His eyes were still that same shade of amber, though it seemed to be sparkling with a new kind of energy, as though he had been refreshed from his trip.

Just as Sakura was quietly observing him, while hiding every part of herself except her head behind the door, the very amber eyes she was gazing at so much suddenly swivelled to look at her, straight into her eyes. Just as sudden as that unexpected discovery of her peeking, Sakura felt a jolt of shock run through her and she dropped the tray which she was holding rather slackly. All at once, the glass of warm milk spilled over and the plate of chocolate chip cookies scattered over the floor as well. In a moment of reflex action, Sakura bent down and without thinking, reached out to pick up the broken pieces of glass, accidentally cutting herself on the fingers.

The sudden pain threw Sakura off guard as she let out a small gasp at the sight of blood dripping profusely. Swiftly, before she could even register what was going on, Syaoran had appeared before her, holding a piece of handkerchief with him. He took Sakura's hand gently and pressed the soft material against her fingers and if she was not wrong, Sakura thought she had something along the lines of 'couldn't leave you alone for a second' though she couldn't be sure. Knowing Syaoran, he was probably relishing his role as a big elder brother again after his time away. Syaoran had always been a protective brotherly figure for her and over the years, much of her security had come from 

the fact that he would always be there for her, whatever happens to her. He had promised her this much.

Thinking about things from her childhood had always been a pleasure, at least her childhood after being taken in by the Li family and having her life settle around her. She could remember the slight feeling of surprise at having woken up in the most comfortable bed she had ever slept and feeling something rare, warmth. She could remember the times when she would just giggle to herself as she looked around at the big and grand house she was living in. The sheer luxurious environment had been something she had to adapt to even after a few years simply because to Sakura, it was unbelievable that an orphan was now living in such a beautiful house, or rather, it was unbelievable that an orphan was picked up by a family who did not even know her beforehand to give her a roof over her head. It was also unbelievable that in addition to the basic necessities a human life needs, she had received love, and an abundance of it, to be exact. Sakura wondered what would happen one day should the Li family ask her to repay them. She couldn't possibly do that, the thought was simply ridiculous.

How could someone ever hope to repay a family who had taken her in regardless of them being complete strangers and the fact that her background was pretty dubious? How could anyone even think of equating the feeling of security, warmth and of the knowledge of being loved to something of monetary value? For a moment, Sakura was caught up in the brief memories of her early time in the household. Previously, she had been trying hard to stave off her hunger and to keep as warm as possible, all the while trying to avoid being hated by the many faceless people she saw on the streets. Thus it seemed like a dream come true when all at once, her life seemed to find its broken pieces and managed to piece them all together again. To the young Sakura, it was like finding herself helpless and falling through the sky, knowing that one day she would hit the ground and everything would end for her, but then having a net of safety catching her in the nick of time, saving her from the hopelessness that she sometimes found herself sinking in.

Hopelessness, the word seemed to resonate soundly in her mind. Has it only been a few years before, when she was nine years old, that she finally fought off the endless nightmares that seemed to plague her even after she knew she was safe in a loving household? She could remember waking up in the dead of the night in cold sweat, thinking that she had to leave for another safe destination again as she did before while she was roaming the streets. In some other occasions, she found herself waking up before everyone else to check if they were still there. She could only go back to a sound sleep after making sure that everyone else had not abandoned her. It was a highly irrational fear of hers she knew and she tried countless of times to tell herself to snap out of it, since Yelan and especially Syaoran had promised her to never leave her. But she still found herself occasionally waking up in the middle of the night, her heart filled with irrational fear, years from then on. She would never admit it to anyone, not even Syaoran who probably knew everything about her from her most embarrassing secrets to her ambitions for her future. And even towards her best friend she met in Art class, Tomoyo, she had hid it from her. They most probably would dismiss it as a childish fear which she would eventually outgrow from, or worse, dismiss her as an attention seeking adolescent who lacks security.

So far was Sakura away in her thoughts that Syaoran had to snap his fingers a few times in front of her face to get her attention back. He would not tell her ever, that he had always liked this aspect of 

hers, being able to space out ever so frequently and looking extremely adorable while doing that, but he made sure he made known his preference for a laughing Sakura than a crying one.

Seeing that Sakura's eyes were now on him and focused with an intensity which he always subconsciously avoided due to a wariness of what feelings such an intensity could possibly hold, Syaoran quickly covered up his slight discomfort by giving her a rough pat on the head.

"Been spacing out much while I'm gone? Miss me much while I'm away?" Syaoran teased, something which he would only do in Sakura's presence.

"You wish! I can't wait for you to be gone so I could finally have a bit of freedom! You wouldn't be able to imagine what it's like without you breathing down my neck! I had so much fun when Chiharu took me, Tomoyo and the rest of the girls out to a really cool party in the Firefly Station! And you wouldn't even begin to guess..." Sakura gushed on.

But before Sakura could finish, Syaoran had cut her off abruptly, his eyes alert and trained on her sharply.

"Sakura, what did I tell you about going to these underage parties? You could get yourself drugged by some suspicious guy or get yourself knocked out with all that alcohol or worse, get molested by some random guy and let him get away with it. This is the reason why I have to look after you always. You can't be expected to behave for once on your own can you?"

In response, instead of some remorse at having behaved badly, Sakura broke out into bright laughter. In fact she laughed so loud her body rocked to and fro and she had to take in several deep breaths to let her laughter die down. Syaoran was taken aback for a moment but found himself smiling reluctantly in spite of his harsh attitude towards her earlier. Sakura had that queer effect on her, being able to rub her cheeriness off to anyone, even the stoutest person.

"You can't take a little of a good old harmless joke, ever!" exclaimed Sakura as she fought to keep her laughter under control.

Syaoran gave a wry smile and his eyes twinkled with unsuppressed amusement. Trust his little Sakura to make a joke out of his serious manner. Now that he thought about it, no other person was allowed to make fun of his natural seriousness without getting away with it. Sakura was the only one ever, so far.

Many times he had found himself relying on Sakura for that piece of sunshine which he knew would otherwise be elusive from him. Her joy, her radiance, all translated to become _his_ joy, _his_ happiness and he would put up a hell of a fight first before he would give that all up. Something which he had kept inside his heart for as long as he could remember, was the reason to his protective behaviour towards his little girl, as he often unabashedly called her. It began since a long time ago, that fateful day when he first set eyes on her. Her eyes seemed to convey deep thoughts and words without even meaning to. That day, he felt a deep sense of helplessness from within the girl, who otherwise always exhibited a cheerful exterior to outsiders. Nevertheless, Syaoran knew, that she harboured a kind of pure joy and innocence, one which made her stay strong even after having seen much of the ugliness of the world, one which would always serve her well in the future should she ever feel like succumbing to the pain he knew was still hiding somewhere in her heart. This was the innocence 

which he had taken upon his own self to protect. That day he told her to smile for him was the day he made that promise to himself. Her happiness would be something of great value and yet, fragility, and he would be damned should he let anyone destroy it.

Syaoran focused his eyes on Sakura again, who by this time had already let her laughter die down and had began methodically to tidy up his room. He watched as she made her way around, depositing random clothes and book items into their respective places. She was wearing a tiny piece of denim shorts today, he noted, while he let himself drown in her appearance. He knew that he shouldn't be acting this way, like a starved animal yearning over a prized piece of meat which it knew it couldn't have. Yet, he knew that Sakura would never be far from his thoughts. He knew his feelings for her had evolved over the years from a brotherly kind of affection to something deeper and he knew also what this could mean. Rarely had he even noticed other girls his age, or other girls for that matter. If it was possible, Sakura seemed to have cast a spell over him, making him unable to yearn for another. However it also meant that he was subjecting himself to torture, for he knew that no relationship could ever exist between a brother and a sister. Though Sakura was not blood related to him, he knew that the moment she entered the household was the unofficial declaration of her being the adopted daughter of the Li family.

But that was not the true reason for his sometimes sleepless nights over a girl he knew he couldn't have. For it was his belief that Sakura only view him as a brother, someone whom she could lean onto in times of support, until the day she found another protector to take over the reins from him, that made him force himself to stay away from the path of self destruction. Another person, another guy for her, looking after her in ways he couldn't, being able to do things for her which he couldn't, the thought seemed to be painful for he felt his heart clench tightly at the implications of it. The day he hand Sakura over to someone else would probably be the most painful day of his life. Syaoran couldn't be sure if he was being overly melodramatic or not, but at this point in time, he certainly felt that each of his feelings he felt for herwas true, through and through.

Still, he was content being able to be with her like this, looking out for her and guiding her way in life, shielding her from the otherwise painful situations which others encounter. He continued watching silently as Sakura skipped her way around, humming a little mindless tune while she attempted to make right of his topsy-turvy room which he couldn't really care to bother, since he knew that Sakura would always be glad to make right his surroundings.

If only she could make right the turmoil in his heart, as his eyes burned with intensity at the person whom he had to call sister. If only she knew of the influence she had over him with just a glance of her lovely green eyes or with a pout of her cherry pink lips.

If only, if only...

"Hey! What is this I hear from Eriol about a fellow female classmate of yours confessing to you right before the trip ended?!" Sakura turned around suddenly and said, smirking mischievously.

Oh, sod that thought earlier. She was still that same kid who acted angelic around everybody else and who showed her bratty side only to him. Who cares about the future, as long as they are both living in blissful contentment right now, thought Syaoran, as he got up and flexed his arms, ready to 

throw her out of his room, just like the many times he did before when she got too annoying for his liking.

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**Hey, so how do you people like it? I must say that I'm pretty proud of myself since I think I finished this in quite a short period of time, at most a few hours I suppose. And just in case you are wondering, 'Firefly Station' refers to a club whose name I don't think infringe on any copyright laws I think. By the way, please give me your feedback on the pace of the story, I wonder if I'm going too fast. And I don't think I'm gonna do 16 chapters for this since it's too taxing. I'll see how it goes. Once again, please review!! **


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